This paper elaborates on the issues posed by electrical and electronic waste (e-waste), the scale of its use, destinations for the transboundary trade flow in e-waste, risks to workers, labor and employment issues, chemicals of concern (OSH) aspects, and the legal framework. It takes a systems analysis approach to the problem, explores solutions, and suggests possible pathways for International Labour Organization (ILO) intervention.
The paper covers challenges ahead in all the aspects of e-waste, they include:
- The unwillingness of consumers to return and pay for disposal of used electronic products;
- The uncoordinated, high level of importation of e-waste disguised as secondhand devices;
- A lack of awareness among consumers; a lack of awareness of the potential hazards of e-waste among collectors and recyclers;
- A lack of funds and investment to finance improvements in e-waste recycling;
- The absence of recycling infrastructure or appropriate management of e-waste;
- The absence of effective take-back programmes;
- The lack of interest by companies or incentives for e-waste management;
- And the failure of and/or lax implementation of e-waste-specific legislation.
E-waste is currently the largest growing waste stream. It is hazardous, complex and expensive to treat in an environmentally sound manner, and there is a general lack of legislation or enforcement surrounding it. Today, most e-waste is being discarded in the general waste stream. Of the e-waste in developed countries that is sent for recycling, 80 percent ends up being shipped (often illegally) to developing countries to be recycled by hundreds of thousands of informal workers. Such globalization of e-waste has adverse environmental and health implications.